It ended quickly ... to the delight of the hometown Buffalo fanatics ... a TKO at 1:20 of opening candle over trial horse Robert Davis - and with it, the one called "Baby Joe" moved up a rung on the heavyweight ladder.

Mesi scored the first of two knockdowns with two right hands and a follow up left-hook ... Davis beats the count and Mesi is quickly on him with another right hand.

So what does it all mean ... for starters he gets to parade around that upstate New York tank town with a NABF minor league belt ... maybe flaunt it at the barber shop, candy store, and pool room.

Call me an old grouch ... but a few negatives grabbed me from the start ... and nothing much after really changed ... first was seeing Davis, with the peanut brittle of a chin, waiting a proverbial eternity for Baby Joe to make an appearance.

And if that wasn’t small town bush league - this yesterday ploy with a champion putting a nervous challenger on hold - what followed is a Buffalo version of a Hollywood B-movie production entrance ... water fountains no less ... gimme a break.

And the way this thing finally played out could well have been a 1940-50s mob era stepping stone for a today "Diaper Don" Mesi ... only thing missing during a comedy of a walk-in was background music of Bobby Darrin hit "Splish-Splash."

I’ll be nice ... jury still out on Baby Joe ... and the brain trust had better lower the sights a little ... Holyfield and/or Rahman?

I think not ... there’s been all too much flooding already in this once great US of A.

Zahir Raheem continued undefeated at a now 23 wins with 13 KO's with impressive four round stoppage of Ablorh Sowah in super-featherweight mismatch ... Raheen answered his own pre-fite question of why he has trouble getting quality opponents.

Simply put, the 26 year old has all the book moves and more ... toss in decent power in right hand coupled with quickness and you have the answer.

Semper fi,

GEL

06-26-03

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